We arrived at the entrance for small vehicles and Marco wasn't there. He was the contact to receive the car and load it: in his absence various men tried to sell us tickets for various places upstream, tickets we didn't need but they were anxious to sell... Marco remained absent.

We went to the company office and after overcoming the locked metal grille and persuading a sleepy man to open the door, the name of someone else came up as a person who might be able to give us some information. After showing our receipt for shipping the car, and entering the relevant details in a log book, a flurry of mobile phone calls appeared to indicate finally that someone would contact us for the embarcation.

Marco arrived, friendly and with his wide smile full of orthodontry greeted us, asked for the keys, the car's papers, and then was ready to enter the port. When we asked for some sort of receipt showing that we had handed over the vehicle, his reply was "don't worry, you don't need it, you already know that I am with the company, and on the boat everyone will know that you own the car. I will be onboard when you board and I will introduce you.

At 1500h we were in the embarcation line, or to be more precise, in one of the tributaries to this line, in each of which everyone is convinced that they are in the right line. For some inexplicable reason boarding did not start on time, and we found ourselves in an ever-increasing edifice of packages and people which developed like a fast-growing and uncontrollable tumour.

Surprisingly everyone started to move forward, advancing their kit to ensure an inviolable space, and began to board. A man with expressionless face checked the tickets and controlled the boarding. When the herd had passed and we arrived at the gate he told us to look for Victoria, a small lady.

We passed various security checks, and finally between trucks and loads arrived at the boarding ramp, at the end of which Victoria, in short lycras and teeshirt, received us. She greeted us happily and guided us to Suite 3. This was really the moment at which the story begins.

Suite 3 is on the main deck, above the cargo access platform, next to the hammock cabin and immediately adjacent to the companionway to the upper deck. Its total area, inclusing bathroom, is equivalent to four telephone boxes. These conditions, without counting on the rust, the deterioration in the sanitary provisions, and various private collections of historical dirt, make the suite very limited in possibilities, and very demanding of creativity. It is worth noting that the existence of air conditioning made it possible to sleep inside with hopes of awaking the following morning, given that the portholes are imaginary.

Notwithstanding, when you pass into the hammock cabin, the suite improves and its advantages appear in the blink of an eye. This is cabin with space for 250 people in hammocks, with windows covered in film to reduce the greenhouse effect, and with air conditioning. At one end are men's and women's bathrooms, which accommodate up to five people. In the cabin, in addition to people and their hammocks, there are pallets for their luggage, which includes clothing, food, toys, televisions, computers, boxes as night tables, and undoubtedly other items we did not decipher. So this is life as one sees it.

On the upper deck, one encounters the camarotes, small cabins with shared bathrooms at the end of the passage between them, with the sobs of a lady immaculately dressed in green, slowly resigning herself to her situation, meanwhile her husband, without much success, sought to move them to a cabin with private bathroom. Always in her green dress, she left the cabin rarely, and at the end of the day, enveloped in the staleness of the day and with the weary face of one who has no choice, she leaned on the rail in the embrace of the sunset breeze.

On this deck one also finds the "Lanchonete", the home of Charles and Charlesinho, responsible for fast food, packet food, frozen pizza, toasted sandwiches. Their stock includes soap, deodorant, batteries, ice-cream, liquor by the shot, and beer. They are responsible for the on-board sound system providing entertainment, with its large loudspeakers on the afterdeck, others midships, and a control console. In the afternoon they mounted their large-screen TV and showed movies with no sound, music videos (with sound); always, always having to play music, the card players require it.

Aft of the lanchonete on the poop deck is a "terrace" with various tables and chairs, generally empty during the day, in the sun, and jammed at sunset and at night, and also four showers for men and four for women, which we never saw working. The terrace is the favourite place for the "solitaries", men and women who sit in silence, far from everyone (as far as is possible in the limited space), looking here, there, or simply nowhere, in their hands the mobile phone whose sound will drag them out of their lethargy, or not.

From anatomy we pass to physiology. The boat underway, Victoria appeared to summon us to eat; it was 1700h and impossible to think of eating at this hour. Having seen the notice advising of dining hours, we were confident that we could defer our dinner until later and awaited sunset. Once dark enough we headed to the galley. Aft of the hammock cabin is the entrance to the galley. Junior was controlling access, and once inside, after handing over our meal tickets, one of the galley ladies served us dinner: Rice, spaghetti, meat, beans, water, and farola and hot sauce (ají de tucumí) on the table. This was the fare every day. On leaving, the low light level in the hammock cabin insinuated that it was time to sleep, everyone take to the hammocks, silence taking over.

Ourselves, conscious that the night was young, decided to view one of the movies we had acquired for the voyage, after which a tour of the deck to see what was happening and check the anchor tensions, Alan said, Marce responding "were we at anchor?". Between laughs and surprise, he recalled his routines before going to sleep when working on offshore rigs. Once in our suite we undertook another check of the size of the bunks, and finally, disappointedly, decided to sleep each in a bunk. The night was not very tranquil; the sound of those ascending and descending the companionway not exactly helpful, and the cold of the night not helping, even with the top sheets we had been able to acquire, additional to the lower sheets supplied. We slept limited by the space at head and foot, and with the risk that turning over would result in falling out of the bunk. When finally fatigue allowed us to sleep, three knocks an the door as Victoria told us to come for breakfast, telling us that it was time to wake up.

After morning kisses, to the shower; it's one thing to view the shower with suspicion, and another to use it. However, there is no option but to take the plunge. Since we were unable to close the sliding screen we had to shower with it open, the water is cold and with both in the shower there is limited space to turn, so embracing from warmth, shower open, brown Amazon river water, and short gasps, the experience was tolerable. Afterwards 2 cm of water covered the deck, at which point we discovered that this meant we had a tub as well as a shower.

At 0500h free breakfast is provided for all onboard: coffee and bread. The hammock dwellers are keen on this and so a large line builds up to take advantage of the breakfast. At 0630h "special breakfast" is available, for the price of 5 reals. Coffee, bread, fruit, ham and cheese, cold but good. We always arrived last and left last. Every day the same, until Junior lent us his sandwich maker and we could enjoy a toasted sandwich. Lunch was similar, one call, one price, and one choice, except on the days we were slightly unwell, when they gave us fresh fruit and shared chicken with us, which while not delicious, was not meat and this was good news. Every day the same...

WIth the lanchonete and poop deck very noisy, the quieter spaces on board were the passages on each deck, the outboard passages on the upper deck, and the foredeck on the main deck. This was the most tranquil spot, typically on part and starboard groups of men talking, apparently indifferent to what was going on around them, however ever ready to note our actions, curious about our cameras, and surprisingly conscious of anything unusual on the river bank to which they would call our attention, to take photographs. After the question on where we were going, what we were doing, why we were taking photographs, where we had been in Brazil... once again silence until the next photo would trigger further questions. In a few cases these contacts allowed us to meet wives (normally in their hammocks), children, and to exchange greetings every day. In others, the link was simply with the men.

The boat continued from port to part, and if we had been surprised by the volume of cargo leaving Belém, we were astonished by the amount of cargo taken on and offloaded at each port, at whatever hour of day or night. On arriving the "Jefe" would disembark and start contracting stevedores. Meanwhile Junior and the crew would be mooring the boat and preparing to handle cargo. Cargo came and went, people came and went, lots of activity and after several hours of intense work, the ship's horn would sound indicating preparation to head out again. In this world of limited activity, seeing the activity in these ports was very interesting, particularly when we found that we could go ashore and appreciate the locales.

Business was not restricted to the ports; in the first two days we frequently saw activity as shown here, ahead of the boat we would see a small landing, a canoe paddled by a couple of youngsters would frantically paddle alongside, using a steel hook to catch the fender, then making fast to the fender (gunwhale), tying up fast to stabilise the canoe, and then via the same line ascending to the deck to sell their produce: açai, palm hearts, fruit, coconut sweets, fried banana, how tempting, impossible resist, diarrhea inevitable. On other occasions small boats were waiting in the river, and when we neared, at reduced speed, would tie up alongside while under way, then once made fast we would increase speed again, while they started transferring merchandise, fighting to maintain position.

In the night stops, other businesses were visibly available, of the bodily contact variety. From the boat it was possible to see the dance of recently scrubbed girls, with high heels and tight jeans, untiringly seeking to make contact with someone, passing here and there, and stopping in various spots, with sufficient light to see and be seen, and sufficient darkness to disappear rapidly. A few men left the boat, their wives in their hammocks looking after children and belongings, made contact and disappeared into the darkness, running back to board the boat when the horn sounded, checking their mobile phones and returning subtly to their hammocks.

The women in their hammocks, these beings confined to the swinging of these, are subjects of admiration and concern at the same time. Their patience is infinite, in addition to looking after babies, they do everything in the hammock: eat, sleep, play with the baby, go back to sleep, change nappies, keep vigil, and all to the interminable sway of the hammock. Some left their hammocks on the afternoon of the final day, as if they could take the air only with the imminent arrival. On the other hand many did nothing other than stay in their hammocks, watching or sleeping, changing position, going in turns to the bathroom when a neighbour was prepared to take the vigil, and returning to take care of the demands of men and children... waiting in eternal silence.

The third day we arrived at Santarem and there was no “special breakfast”, we rose with everyone else and took coffee and bread. After seeing the evidence of the cargo handling planned, we saw that we would be at the dock all morning. After clarifying the time available we landed and went to walk around the city; we arrived at the market and saw pink dolphins, the fisherman sell for 1 real a fish to catch their attention and show them off to the visitor.

Then we visited the City Museum and had the pleasure of meeting Mr Leal. A man who gave his personal collection to create a museum in the city, including pieces from the Santarem culture and other later cultures. His blindness was no barrier his accompanying us in our visit and sharing his knowledge with us.

We returned to the boat, to wait some more. The departure programmed for 1200h took place at 1500h, however we were able to gain appreciation of the diverse techniques used to handle cargo, incuding cars: clearly unorthodox and relying upon aspects such as the elasticity of the loading planks to accommodate vertical clearance, lifting the car on the count of three to change its position on the ramp, and pushing the car when the motor was insufficient to propel it up the ramp. In the loading crew anything is possible, and they are always working together to overcome any challenge.

During the day reading was an excellent option, as time passed we turned the pages of our book, “La Vorágine” (The Vortex) was perfect for the passage. We were able to read each chapter, look at the map, and appreciate the scene, since we were surrounded by the appropriate environment. The slow voyage allowed us to read with similar speed, enjoy the despcriptions full of metaphors, re-read, play with the voices in the book, and to comment and sustain extensive conversations on the facts and emotions revealed in the story. This activity seemd strange enough, along with working on our computers, that we were always accompanied by a group of children watching us, initially observing us intently, then asking questions, until finally they would be sitting inside the suite investigating everything and listening to the music we chose to offer, always spontaneous, always curious.

So we arrive at the description of the scenery, the river and its banks. Having read various comments on the limitations of the passage, in our experience there was no limit to diversity. As one would expect, there was a lot of water, brown water whose changes in tone were evident at the confluences of the rivers Tapajós and Negro, always with floating vegetation. On the banks it was possible to see diverse forms of occupation and land use. The voyage started with this sunset, which while not repeated, was a good augury.

In the first section from Belém to Breves, it was possible to see both banks of the river, since the channels of the river Pará are narrower. We enjoyed scenery which was very “jungly”, complex, with a few tall trees as principal actors, palms and others forming the crowd.

The population live in wooden houses built on stilts, with some form of dock; the river is like the street and the place to meet the neighbours, if this concept has meaning. Despite the isolation of each dwelling, there was a sense of community between the inhabitants.

The river then widens and the density of vegetation drops, more open zones appear, and for the first time we saw groups of water buffalo, submerged and enjoyed the fresh water. Pasture become more frequent, as do eroded banks, and floating vegetation.

At the confluence with the river Tapajós the spectacle of the “meeting of the waters” captures the attention. Above this cattle ranching predominates, there appear corrals both on the bank and on river boats, cattle, goats, and horses are the actors. Large cargo vessels cruise by as do local fishing launches.

As we took the River Negro, seeing once again the meeting of the waters, from there Manaus captures the attention, perhaps owing to the proximity of our arrival, because we wanted to discover the magic of the region, because we were seeking to encounter the beauty of the city, or because our beings wanted clean hot water, a comfortable bed, and a good restaurant for dinner.

Two hours after arriving at the port it was possible to unload the car; if seeing the manner of handling was disquieting, getting into our own car was delightful, at 2100h we left the port happy, satisfied, and asking ourselves whether we would do it again. The answer: “Yes”.

P.S. many curious people onboard, like the opportunist, the card players, the crew, the Dutch ladies in their island, the art lover selling Hello Kitty stickers, and the marvelous Norwegians whom we will always remember.

In contrast to most days we rose early and were ready to leave on time, however the inefficiency of the hotel resulted in a delay. Notwithstanding we made it to the ferry in time, arriving seven minutes early; with a sigh of relief we boarded the ferry, disposed to enjoy the crossing.

We left at 0820h and an hour later were at the other landing, in a traffic jam of ferries awaiting space to disembark. Our plan was to pass through Alcantará and head west, however after a few minutes we discovered that the ferry landing was at another port, and Alcantará was 35 Km northeast.

El día se puso marceliano (comenzó a llover) y decidimos continuar.

The day was “Marcelan” (it started to rain) and we decided to continue.

Unusually conditions didn’t improve when Alan took the wheel, and we continued to our destination in a few hours, arriving early enough to spend time doing something in a place with not much to do. We took a look and decided to continue to the next big town.

En route we stopped for lunch at the obligatory “Churrasquería Vasão” where music payed in parked cars is expressly prohibited. Having seen the procedures demonstrated by the passengers of the two buses parked there when we stopped, we took our plates and set out to find food.Ready to out our plates on the scale, we greeted the two in attendance with “Boa Tarde” and as if by magic they were attentive, assured us that the food was “gustosa”, and later brought coffee to our table.

Underway again we arrived at the next large town with two more hours of light and decided to continue to Belém, there was no point in stopping on the way. We arrived in the city while there was still light, enough to cover the remaining distance to the hotel. We were happy to be there, we had gained a day to organise shipment of the car and ourselves to Manaus, and thus a day more in which to get to know the city and enjoy its ambience.

Belém was an excellent spot in which to take care of our logistical tasks, and it was possible to identify a vessel which could take both ourselves and the car, which was a delightful surprise; the boat being the Amazon Star, the second largest in the fleet of ENART. Since we needed to spend a few more days in Belém awaiting the passage, we took care of the maintenance of the car, as well as various pending tasks.

Diverse sites in Belém captured our attention, one being the Estacion das Docas, part of the old river docks, which have been renovated and turned into a cultural centre and gastronomic centre, where we could dine while contemplating the grandeur of the river.

The “Ver e Peso” market is a picturesque and agreeable place, the local market for the produce of the region. Once can find local fruits, vegetables, being bought for the day’s lunch, “carne do sol”, manioc flour in many forms, rabbits, ducks, kitchen utensils, artesania, fresh fish, various bottles of medicine to entrap men, and others, more suspicious, to improve potency and performance.

The oldest part of the city, the heart of its foundation, has been rehabilitated and protected: the catedral, the fort, the House of Eleven Windows, and the Museum of Religious Art are all rich centres for exploration and appreciation of local art. The best aspect of the centre are its mango trees, living shade to the plaza, after various visits we saw a mango fall and the man who looks after parked cars (hence the legitimate authority in the square) give us the mango, and later seeing us eating it at the coconut juice stand, with broom in hand encouraged two more to fall, which he also gave us. Hence drinking conconut juice and iced water from Raquel we enjoyed three delicious Paranense mangos.

Another singular experience in Belém was the Opera in 3D, in the cinema of the most recently built shopping centre; we saw Carmen performed by the Royal Opera House. Seeing opera in a cinema, with the smell of popcorn and the sound of their packets, was most amusing, even more so when we donned the 3D glasses for the full effect of three dimensions.

New dishes in Belém: Rice with Jambu and Duck in Tucumi Sauce, satisfied our interest in diversity. We saw no beans, fish dominated the culinary stage, however the winner was the Prawn, our most frequently eaten dish in three months.

Our visit to São Luis was driven by our interest in the oldest places in the country, and without doubt this is one of them, the first and only city founded by the French in Brazil, in addition being known as a UNESCO World Heritage site, hence making the place important for us.

The historic centre is in process of restoration and while it is possible to see various restored buildings, in general the area gave us the impression of a city after a civil war. Perhaps resulting from the delapidation of many structures, the deserted streets, and the abandonment of many other buildings.

In São Luis ceramic tilling of the outside walls has been important in decorating the buildings, since colonial times they have been used to finish the facades, given the humidity and temperature. The ceramic tile is part of the identity of the place; our attention was captured by the fact that traffic lights are surrounded by plastic film on which are printed tiles.

The people of the city are all friendly, however the prize goes to the Nissan Dealer. We were seeking assistance to repair the various damages and reconnect the reversing lights. Two mechanics worked with us, not only to undertake the repairs needed, but also to seek a solution for the lost protector, which as expected was not available in their spares inventory. After an hour and a half, air filter cleaned, rear skirt repaired, engine bay cleaned, reversing lights working, and improvised protector in place. We went to pay the bill and the answer was: “Just thank the guys – it’s on the house”.

In contrast to this, the Holiday Inn was characterised by the opposite, the inefficiency of some of its employees and the failures in its facilities made us wish for the Ibis, which fulfils its promise at an excellent rate, which is impressive given the high costs in Brazil.